§ 3.37 p.m.
§ The LORD PRIVY SEAL (Lord Shepherd)My Lords, in asking for the permission of your Lordships' House to make a short Statement, I am sure that it would be your wish that on behalf of all of us I should welcome back my noble friend Lord Shinwell and express the hope that he will not do what he did too often because it caused us some concern.
The Statement is as follows:
§ "The Government announced, on 19th December 1974, that the rates and conditions of payment of the Peers' expenses allowance were being referred to the Top Salaries Review Body. We expect the Review Body to report on this, on Members' pensions, Ministerial salaries and some miscellaneous questions affecting allowances later in the year.
§ "In the first part of the Review Body's report on the Parliamentary salary, which is published today, there is the recommendation that the car
1272§ mileage allowance of Members should be increased from 7.7p to 10.2p a mile, payable from 13th June. The Government have accepted this recommendation and propose that the car mileage allowance for Peers attending the House should be raised by the same amount. A Resolution bringing this proposal into effect will be brought before the House at the earliest opportunity."
§ My Lords, that concludes the Statement.